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What happens When Technology Takes Over Law Enforcement?

By Gov CIO Outlook | Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Law enforcement enterprises use technology in ways that can promote more accountability and safety.

FREMONT, CA: We enter the final months of 2019, and now it's time to begin planning and budgeting for new public safety and police department initiatives for 2020. Here are some of the most compelling trends that will shape public policy and law enforcement organizations in 2020.

Focus on community-oriented policing

The most significant trend that will transform 2020 is a renewed focus on community-oriented policing. This is not a new concept, it has been taking the first place to counter widespread public distrust resulting from several high-profile fatalities. While this is not a technology trend per-say, community-oriented policing will likely remain a top priority for the future at the local, state, and federal levels of law enforcement and public safety, and will soon set the tone for many of the other trends to come next year. The most important community-oriented policing will be the development of community partnerships, engaging stakeholders from the wider community to address crime and public safety challenges, and the execution of processes and tools to better enable this collaboration.

IoT devices

The internet of things (IoT) is essentially better interconnectivity and data gathering using a network of computing devices embedded in everyday objects, like smart TVs, fridges, cars, and other digital appliances. While mentioning about law and enforcement, over-the-air connected body cameras, public security camera feeds, in-vehicle data, camera-equipped drones, embedded weapon sensors, officer geolocators, and a host of other technologies will massively increase and can be purchased and used to streamline daily policing.

Building public trust is the major key to successful community-oriented policing strategies. The way police departments are going to deal with this challenge will be to focus on maintaining a better degree of transparency, and ensuring the public feels they are accountable for their behaviors.